​Anytime people speak in generalities they are referring to the fundamental accounts of a specific topic that rule their perception of it. These accounts could come from an index of personal experiences or experiences of individuals close to the person. Those accounts could be shaped from a mainstream general consensus that's based on a variety of scientific, political and artistic influences. Anything discussed in “general terms”, is a discussion of what generally rules a particular topic of interest, or what is otherwise known as a discussion in the “general rules” of whatever topic is in question.

A General Case of Hypnosis

A pitfall of humanity is the acceptance of the exception as evidence against following the rules, and to write off the woes of those who speak in generalities. This is what intellectuals would describe as an example of having a fantastically subjective view on a given topic rather than having a reasonably objective one. Hollywood plays suspect to individuals having this type of perspective, by manipulating minds to entertain the Cinderella fantasy of the exceptional underdog to the extent where individuals develop a subjective complex; or a distorted view of general statistics that are based on empirical evidence.

In the Art of War

A General of an army may not know all there is to know about the details of their enemy’s intent or motive, when observing their tactics, but he is wise in his general understanding; and therefore wise in what is ruling the actions of his enemy. With this general knowledge of his enemy, the general may plan a strategy to thwart, counteract, or sanction activities that would enable those intentions if those intentions were on the agenda. This is why war is viewed as a game of chess. You are taking general information into consideration in order to plan a strategy that would put you more moves ahead of your opponent.
The same general rules apply to any knowledge acquired through human nature. There are exceptions to every rule, but the rule is what will generally hold merit over the long term of an individual’s lifetime of experiences. The people who will openly denigrate the arguments of those who speak in generalities, are the same type of people who will commit to repeatedly playing the lottery regardless of how marginal their odds of success, just because there exist people who have won. Many unnecessary hardships and tragedy can be avoided if one were to simply follow the rules instead of placing bets on a chance exception.

The Practical Judge of Character

When it comes to your health, wealth, and happiness, would you play by the rules or risk all the above on exceptions? Generalities are the rule. This is also to say that there is truth rooted in stereotypes. In order for stereotypes to grow and develop over time, it had to have had continual nurturing (recorded general statistics) from a seed of truth (empirical evidence from events that transpired). So in terms of “playing by the rules”, the degree to which one understands a stereotype as an example of a generality in action, is the degree to which that individual reduces their exposure to the risks, consequences, or conflict of interest a stereotype may project for the outcome of that individual’s decisions, goals, or plans towards achieving their desired lifestyle.

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